Somerset Levels Commission.

This commission came from an Irish friend, for some relatives living in Somerset and loving the levels.

 The potter is more used to his land and seascape pots based mainly on Southwold and Aldeburgh..so this was a new venture and much perusal of google pics and pinterest boards were looked at, before he sketched his ideas in a book and started the heavy job of raising a large ceramic pot. It is big...not quite a metre high but not far off! 

There were certain requirements made for the decor on the exterior...hares, heron, water and reeds...and the potter added his usual wonderfully modelled bridges, fences and landscape. The glazes are chosen to enhance the fired clay and the final glaze firing reveals whether or not it has been a success.

Well this is the second one...not that the first wasn't good it was, but experience tells you that often the next one manages to capture the essence of a piece. Soon it will be on it's way to The Levels...then we shall see if it has done it's job. 

A Poem for Thursday...."The Flood"

 

"Noah survives the Flood"...ceramic by Alan Snape

The Flood

Two four six is a children’s rhyme.

Two, four and six is the sleepy time.

Don’t frighten the kids just give them a smile.

Can’t go swimming for the waves are too high.

It’s only the earth dear when all’s said and done.

It’s just the blue planet, see… we orbit the sun.

There’s no need for temperate people to fear.

They’re far, far away from the garden my dear.

Go fly a kite while the winds are so high.

But don’t frighten the children,

Just give them a smile.

I wrote this quite a while ago after the Japanese tsunami.....

...since then edited it...

but I should think ...the people of Somerset are wondering about Noah and whether they should start building those boats.